Question
Jaundice is common in newborns, but when it persists past the full month, the doctor says it’s pathological jaundice. What are the differences between newborn jaundice and pathological jaundice?
Answer
Newborn jaundice refers to a temporary jaundice caused by abnormal bilirubin metabolism and elevated bilirubin levels in the blood during the neonatal period. Pathological newborn jaundice is a disease caused by various reasons, with the most common being hemolytic jaundice due to incompatibility between the mother’s and the fetus’s blood types. There are also infectious jaundices caused by viral or bacterial infections that lead to liver cell dysfunction.